Um, what? WHAT????
HUH????
So thirty-three Cuban political prisoners sent a letter to the very same man that not only extolled and regaled us with the virtues of fidel castro and his revolution, but through his notoriety served to further legitimize same?
WTF????
it’s a smart move actually. if you (I mean Mandela, not Val) set yourself up to be a paragon of virtue then say something! Mandela won’t say anything, of course, but this grabs attention, makes headlines and shows that Mandela isn’t a saint.
They were exactly my same thoughts. I thought it was a rather ‘smart’ move on the prisoner’s side. A great way to ‘call out’ Mandela on his hypocrisy. I’m sure that prisoners know full well the ‘relationship’ between Mandela and Castro. After all – it would have been part of the constant education indoctrination of that era.
“The cause of Communism is the greatest cause in the history of mankind!” proclaimed Nelson Mandela in 1961. “There’s one place where Fidel Castro stands out head and shoulders above the rest. That is in his love for human rights and liberty!” proclaimed Saint Mandela in 1991 (in 1984 Castro had awarded him Cuba’s prestigious Playa Giron Award.)
Unlike Biscet, Mandela was NOT a bona-fide “prisoner of conscience.” Amnesty International refused to recognize him as such. They had sent an obeserver to his trial (conducted by an independent judiciary, btw, unlike any in Cuba) in 1964, who concluded along with other international observers such as Anthony Sampson of the London Observer who wrote Mandela’s AUTHORIZED biography that: “The trial has been properly conducted. The judge, Mr Justice Quartus de Wet, has been scrupulously fair.”
Here’s Amnesty International in 1985 explaining why it refused to list the media’s hero-saint as a political prisoner: “Nelson Mandela had participated in planning acts of sabotage and inciting violence, so that he could no longer fulfill the criteria for the classification of political prisoners.”
“The preparation, manufacture and use of explosives, including 210,000 hand grenades, 48,000 anti-personnel mines, 1,500 time devices, 144 tons of ammonium nitrate, 21.6 tons of aluminum powder and a ton of black powder. 193 counts of terrorism committed between 1961 and 1963” say the court documents.
And UNLIKE Posada, Mandela was CONVICTED.
Both of you would be correct in that it could be a smart move if not for the fact that it doesnt fit the “narrative” and the MSM coverage of this is and will be non-existent.
We need to get it into our thick skulls that as far as most, if not all, of the MSM is concerned, THERE SIMPLY ARE NO POLITICAL PRISONERS IN CUBA.
Val, I think you’re wrong. The reality is much worse I think many if not everyone knows that there are political prisoners in Cuba, they just don’t care. The get their Amnesty International reports – skip to the section that reads “Colombia”, then skip over to where it says “Iraq” and they’re done.
Only the Latin American Herald has picked it up. Perhaps a series of letters to editors could mention this lack of coverage.
Fun Exercise! Posada Carriles was TWICE acquitted of planting bombs. Nelson MANDELA WAS CONVICTED of planting bombs in public places BY AN INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY IN FRONT OF INTERNATIONAL MONITORS/observers .
Now Google up “terrorism” next to each name (one a Cuban-exile, the other an African) –and see who gets most associated with “terrorism” by the MSM????!!!
Wheeeeeee!!!
Cardinal,
Oh, the MSM has witnessed the issue of prioners of conscience in Cuba first hand, but like I said, it does not fit the narrative and thus nothing to see here, move along folks.
Always refreshing to see Humberto and babalublog call bullshale on ‘saint mandela’.
First time heard of this guy, late 80s, made him immediately as a red terrorist, a total fourflusher never to be trusted.
What cinched it was the marxstream media’s school-girl gushing over him, right down to Peter Jennings sending a message by means of his pluperfect pronounciation of ‘Mon-day-lah!’, as if somehow once again, we’ze all jes’ turnips ’round here what needs dat dere big marxstream media to to our thinkin’ fo’ us.
Oh, yessuhmeebop!
Mandela proves, the marxstream media can make people believe anything.
Paul Vincent Zecchino
Manadela Key, Florida
03 February, 2010
Humberto: You omitted mentioning that the “210,000 hand grenades, 48,000 anti-personnel mines, 1,500 time devices, 144 tons of ammonium nitrate, 21.6 tons of aluminum powder and a ton of black powder” had been provided by the Soviets. Cuba became the major source of weapons and explosives to the ANC during their terrorist war. That’s why Mandela has always been grateful to Fidel Castro.
Ah! Shoulda known, professor. Thanks for the heads-up.